Player-piano



A. -1.` GORDON.

PLAYER PIANO.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. I6, i920.

Patented Nov; 16, 1920.

E E T I 3 SHEETS-SH JIJ Il n A. 1. GORDON. PLAYER PIANO. APPLICATION FILED MAR. I6, |920.

1,359,054. Patented Nov. 16, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A. J. GORDON.

PLAYER PIANO.V

APrLlcArloN man mm. l5. 1920.

Pand'Nov. 16,1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET i.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT J. GORDON, OF PAWHUSKA, OKLAHOMA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH T0 E. B. COLWELL, ONE-FOURTH TO EDMUND COLWELL, AND ONE-FOURTH TO CLARK F.

GROSS, ALL 0F MONMOUTH, ILLINOIS.

PLAYER-PIANO.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 16, 1920.

Application led March 16, 1926. Serial No. 366,189.

To all whom t may concern i.'

Be it known that I, ALBERT J. GORDON, a citizen of the United States, residin at Pawhuska, in the county of Osage and tate of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in Player-Pianos, of which the fldllowin is a speciiication.

This invention reFates particularl to pneumatic actions for player pianos. rdinarily hammers of Such instruments are actuated by what are called pneumatics involving the use of individual bellows for each key and hammer, such bellows being operated by a main pneumatic, or bellows connected with a suction box or air chest which communicates with all of the hammer operating bellows. Such pneumatic devices are complicated and not durable. vI have Vfound that the individual pneumatics or bellows may be dispensed with and their place taken by much simpler appliances which are much more durable. y

According to my invention I provide a tracker bar a suction box, or air chest, and

a main bellows for'creating a partial vacu-l um in the suction box as heretofore, but 1nstead of connecting the suction box with a series of pneumatics or bellows as heretofore, I connect it with a suitable number of valve chests vprovided with valves and pistons for controlling the inlet and exhaust of air from the chest and the actuation of the hammer operating Vmechanism. The valve chests are of such construction and are so applied tothe suction box that they may be quicklyremoved individually when defective without disturbing the other parts of the mechanism, and may be readily replaced by Aperfect ones.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 shows a vertical section of a player piano with my improvements aplied. f p Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a portion of the suction box with a plurality of my 1mproved ap liances supported thereby. t

Fig. 3 siiows a rear elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 2. l

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing y,a portion of the suction box, one of the devices constructed in accordance with my invention for operating the hammers, and a portion of a lever connecting the appliance with a wippen forming part of the hammer action. Fig. 4 also illustrates how conveniently one of the devices may be connected with or removed from the suction box without .disturbing companion members.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing connection between the tracker bar and valve chest, and showing also how the valve chest is connected with the suction box. In this figure the parts are in normal position.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5, but shows the parts in a different position when an aperture in the tracker bar is opened by the note sheet and when the action is operated to sound a note.

Fig. 7 shows a section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 5.

p Fig. 8 is a perspective view of oneof the valves controlling communication between the suction box and a piston chamber.

I have shown my improvements applied to a player piano in general of well known or conventional construction. The action air chest or suction box A is connected by a tube B with a bellows C which may be op erated by treadle mechanism D or in other ways. By operating the bellows. C, air is drawn from the suction box and a partial vacuum is produced therein. c indicates a tube which may be led to a motor for operating the note sheet. The keys E operate inthe usual way to actuate the jacks F which in turn operate the hammers G.

The tracker bar is indicated at H and the note sheet at I. Instead of connecting the tracker bar with individual bellows for the hammer action I connect each opening h in the tracker bar by a tube J with a casing K of novel construction and which is connected with the suction box as hereinafter ex lained.

ach valve chest K comprises a casing made of any suitable material having apart l connected directly with the suction box,

l piston mores pr in the piston chamber. The piston i s provided with bleed ici air may slowly pass ot the mechanism.

' there a valve each tube l and in general the operation of the mechanism is similar to l player that ot other g. shows the normal condition of the meczianism fi the ralye is e communication between the suction bo?. and the piston chamber 11 is closed, and as the chamber 12. is open to the atmosphere throi g opening T, the piston is held in uppermost position atmospheric irefsure and by the nimmer mechanism. if now the note sheet be moved to uncover tie channel 72.

l indicated in Fig. (i, air will enter the chamber 9 and aise the valve 5, thus opening communication letween the suction box and the piston cham- -er 11 and producing a partial vacuum in said chamber, causing said piston to be quicklyv moved inward and thus actuate the loyer 1G. fis indicated, there is a small bleed opening e through the diaphragm l0 so that air may pass slowly between the chambers 3 and 9. lnasmuch as there are small holes fr' through the piston 12, air can aass through the piston when the valve 5 is iirst opened, but the suction is suliicient to draw the piston inward and to close the valve at this time. After the valve 15 has closed the opening 13, a partial 'vacuum will be produced between the piston 12 and the faire 15, air being drawn into the chamber 11 hrough the holes 02.

Tfhen a channel 7i is closed by the note sheet, the diaphragm l0 falls, the valyel 5 is lowered and connection is cut off between the piston chamber 11 and the suction box, and air enters the opening and causes the piston 19 to raise and at the same time the valve 5 is closed. By providing an opening T to the atmosphere. it will be obser ved air can enter the chamber 11 atter communication with the suction box is cut off., so that the piston may rise. lllhen the piston 12 is drawn inwardly to its full extent, the 15 close opening 13 so that the partial Vacuum produced in the manner beiore descril ed beneath the piston may have its lull effect. By providing the piston 12 with the holes provision is made -tor ,al om ein,

producing a partia vacuum between the piston and the valve 15 when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. G. During this operation of raising the piston, it will be understood that when air nrst enters the chamber 1l it passes through the holes af and enters the chamber 11 above the piston. it the same time atmospheric pressure acting on the bottom of the piston raises the latter in the manner before described.

fill of the appliances just describml and thus constructed operate in the same my. Figs, 2 and illustrate how the appliances are supported on the suction box and it will be observed that each one ot them is a separate unit and may7 be withdrawn and replaced without disturbing the otl 'f e shows this more clea 'ly'. lt i served that the suction ocx A is itoi with ports o, each of which. is adapted communicate with a port t3 in a yaly Each 'faire chest preierably rests on packing N and each valve chest is u to the suction box by screws O entering the rear side of the part 1 of the Tsalve chest,

-extenoing through said part l, and entering holes 0 in the suction box. The rods or valve stems 1f-l are detachably connected with the lever 16 as clearly indicated in the drawings.

The bellows mechanism C shown in Fig. 1 is of well known construction and its construction and operation need not be specilically described. Any suitable bellows mechanism may be substituted for that shown.

As indicated in Fig. l, the valve chests are applied to the rear side of the suction boxopposite the removable section S of the casing so that when this section is removed ready access is afforded to said chests and they maybe very quickly removed and replaced.

I claim as m 7 invention.

1. The combination with the suction box, tracker bar and hammer oi a player piano, of a Valve chest having a Valve chamber and a piston chamber open on one side to the atmosphere, a valve controlling the connection between the suction box andthe piston chamber, means operated by air admitted at the tracker for opening said valve to establish communication between the suction box and the piston chamber, a piston in vthe piston chamber, a valve operated thereby to close communication between the piston chamber and the atmosphere, and connections between the piston and a hammer.

2. The combination with the suction box7 tracker bar, and hammer of a player piano, oit a Valve chest having a Valve chamber, a pressure chamber, and a piston chamber, means for connecting the pressure chamber with the tracker bar, a valve controlling communication between the suction box, the piston chamber, and the atmosphere, a pis'- ton operating in the piston chamber, means for connecting the piston with a hammer, a port in the piston chamber above the piston, and a valve controlling said port.

3. The combination with the suction box, the hammers, and the tracker bar of a player piano, of a plurality of valve chests detachably and individually connected with the suction box and each containing a valve chamber, a piston chamber, and a pressure chamber, a valve in the chest for controlling communication between the suction box and the piston chamber, a piston operating in the piston chamber, and means for detachably connecting said piston with a hammer operating mechanism.

4. The combination with the suction box, the tracker bar, and the hammers of a player piano, of a plurality of 'valve casings, each comprising two parts, one of whichcontains a valve chamber, and the other a piston chamber, a valve operating in .the valve chamber, a piston operating in the piston chamber, and means lextendlng through the side of the first part and engaging the side of the suction box for detachably connecting the valve chest with said box.

5. In a player piano, the combination of a casing having a removable rear section, a suction box within the casing, a tracker bar, hammers mounted in the rear portion of the casing, a plurality of valve casings attached to the rear side of the suction box in front of the removable section of the Casin bellows arranged in the lower portion of t e casing, connections between the suction box and said bellows, and connections between the valve casings and the tracker bar.

6. The combination with the suction box, tracker bar, and hammers of a player piano, of a valve chest having a valve chamber and a piston chamber, a valve controlling the connection between the suction box and the piston chamber, means operated by air admitted at the tracker for operating said valve, a piston in the piston chamber having an opening through it, to establish communication between opposite ends of the piston chamber whereby a partial vacuum is produced on both sides of the piston and connections between the piston and a hammer.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

ALBERT J GORDON. 

